IT COULD take up to three weeks for refuse collections to return to normal in parts of North Wales, council chiefs have warned.

The region’s six local authorities have fallen behind with household waste collections thanks to the Christmas period and snowy weather conditions.

Rubbish is piling up in some areas, including Gronant in Flintshire, Meliden in Denbighshire and parts of Wrexham, and refuse collectors have now started work to clear the backlog.

Cllr David Bithell, lead member for waste management at Wrexham Council, said bin lorries were sent out every day during the icy spell but were unable to reach all areas safely.

He added: “All our lorries were out every day and it was a judgement call for the drivers whether they were able to collect from certain areas.

“In some places the snow was just too deep and there has been a backlog as a result but we are working hard to get things back to normal as soon as possible.”

But a spokesman for the authority said normal collections would not resume until week commencing January 24, as a result of Christmas bank holidays throwing pick-up days out of sync.

She added that there had been backlogs in parts of Brymbo, Moss and Bwlchgwyn before Christmas but said these have now all been cleared.

Flintshire Council said it had had no major problems with waste and normal collection schedules resumed yesterday.

A spokesman for Denbighshire Council said: “In Denbighshire, services are running as normal this week, although we do have to collect refuse from a minority of locations where it was not possible to do so due to the wintry and icy conditions.”

Gwynedd reported a backlog in some areas as a result of the weather but promised it would be cleared by Friday.

A spokesman said: “The council’s recycling centres have been very busy over the festive period, and we would like to thank Gwynedd residents for their patience during the recent period of extreme weather conditions.”

Anglesey’s backlog has already been made up and collections have returned to normal and Cllr Mike Priestley, cabinet member for environment at Conwy Council, said crews worked overtime last week to catch up.

He added: “Recycling and refuse collections are operating as normal.

“Crews worked additional hours to catch up with collections missed before Christmas due to snow and icy road conditions. ŠŠ

“With just a small number still remaining, we’d like thank everyone for their understanding.”